Studying a subject with the title sport in it has for some led to the view that sport related degrees are less challenging than the more traditional scientific subjects such as chemistry and physics.
However, I would strongly argue that today many sport related subjects are held in extremely high esteem by Higher Education Institutes. In support of this argument you need only to consider the 34 British Institutions that submitted research to the sport related area as part of the 2001 research assessment exercise (RAE); a process by which the Higher Education funding Council for England (HEFCE) assesses the quality of research produced by the Universities.
Five British Universities received the highest possible rating of five stars for research submissions in the professional area of sport and exercise. It is this subject area that I wish to focus this article on as sport and exercise science is fast becoming one of the most popular subjects at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.
There has been a growth in the diversity and specialisation in the study of sports and exercise science courses. The subject itself involves the application of scientific principles through four branches of science- biomechanics, physiology, psychology and interdisciplinary approaches- although this knowledge is applied differently to each of the sport and exercise disciplines. Sport science largely offers expert scientific backup for top training and performance, while exercise science has a central role in physical activity programmes aimed at improving general health. The qualified sport and exercise scientist can expect to have a broad technical physiological and psychological knowledge. However many courses are now providing greater specialisation through module choice or projects and many practitioners are now capable of diversifying their areas of expertise accordingly.
Graduates from such programmes have various career paths. Many stay in sport and science through teaching and research, whilst others apply their knowledge through related areas such as coaching and management. According to an UCAS report in 1998 on first destination employment following graduation, 40% of sport science students end up working in the sports and leisure area, another 40% use their qualifications as a science degree and work in areas such as financial services, banking and pharmaceuticals. The remaining 20% go into teaching or research.
For those who wish to stay in the profession of sport and exercise science there is significant scope for career development. With sport and health becoming 'good' causes for receiving national lottery funding, significant public funding has been made available to support high quality sport and exercise science services. Many sports are accessing sport science to improve performance whilst many health and exercise initiatives created by the government health agenda are using exercise scientists to support programmes in primary care settings. The very fact that the NHS plan has incorporated physical activity within its national service frameworks means that there is increasing scope for work opportunities for exercise scientists in clinical settings.
The professional body, the British Association of Sport and Exercise Science (BASES), looks after the interests of sport and exercise scientist. BASES is a membership association that was established in the early 1980s to promote science within sport and exercise. It is a voluntary not-for-profit organisation with a practitioner membership base of nearly 3000 people. The association represents UK sport and exercise science interests both nationally and internationally, and disseminates knowledge across the sport, exercise and health sector through conferences, seminars, publications and workshops. A couple of exciting things happening at the moment are the BASES education and training programmes and the BASES accreditation scheme. The education and training programme offers members 10-12 applied one-day workshops each year in order to help members with their continuing professional development. The BASES accreditation scheme offers clients from sport and exercise groups' confidence that the services that they receive will be both safe and effective. Accreditation is the gold standard in service delivery and is recognised as the benchmark for expertise in the sports and exercise domain.
Five British Universities received the highest possible rating of five stars for research submissions in the professional area of sport and exercise. It is this subject area that I wish to focus this article on as sport and exercise science is fast becoming one of the most popular subjects at both undergraduate and postgraduate level.There has been a growth in the diversity and specialisation in the study of sports and exercise science courses. The subject itself involves the application of scientific principles through four branches of science- biomechanics, physiology, psychology and interdisciplinary approaches- although this knowledge is applied differently to each of the sport and exercise disciplines. Sport science largely offers expert scientific backup for top training and performance, while exercise science has a central role in physical activity programmes aimed at improving general health. The qualified sport and exercise scientist can expect to have a broad technical physiological and psychological knowledge. However many courses are now providing greater specialisation through module choice or projects and many practitioners are now capable of diversifying their areas of expertise accordingly.
Graduates from such programmes have various career paths. Many stay in sport and science through teaching and research, whilst others apply their knowledge through related areas such as coaching and management. According to an UCAS report in 1998 on first destination employment following graduation, 40% of sport science students end up working in the sports and leisure area, another 40% use their qualifications as a science degree and work in areas such as financial services, banking and pharmaceuticals. The remaining 20% go into teaching or research.
For those who wish to stay in the profession of sport and exercise science there is significant scope for career development. With sport and health becoming 'good' causes for receiving national lottery funding, significant public funding has been made available to support high quality sport and exercise science services. Many sports are accessing sport science to improve performance whilst many health and exercise initiatives created by the government health agenda are using exercise scientists to support programmes in primary care settings. The very fact that the NHS plan has incorporated physical activity within its national service frameworks means that there is increasing scope for work opportunities for exercise scientists in clinical settings.
The professional body, the British Association of Sport and Exercise Science (BASES), looks after the interests of sport and exercise scientist. BASES is a membership association that was established in the early 1980s to promote science within sport and exercise. It is a voluntary not-for-profit organisation with a practitioner membership base of nearly 3000 people. The association represents UK sport and exercise science interests both nationally and internationally, and disseminates knowledge across the sport, exercise and health sector through conferences, seminars, publications and workshops. A couple of exciting things happening at the moment are the BASES education and training programmes and the BASES accreditation scheme. The education and training programme offers members 10-12 applied one-day workshops each year in order to help members with their continuing professional development. The BASES accreditation scheme offers clients from sport and exercise groups' confidence that the services that they receive will be both safe and effective. Accreditation is the gold standard in service delivery and is recognised as the benchmark for expertise in the sports and exercise domain.
